Switch mechanism



. A951121', 1931'. n. s'. JENIN'GS 1,801,866

.swITcn'MEcHANIsu Filed June 4. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 O L; A 2

WITNESSES.: INVENTOR Apn 21, 1931- o. s. JENNINGS SWITCH MECHANISMFiled'June 4, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Oliver S. Jenni ny:

ATT'ORN'EY O. S. JENNINGS SWITCH MECHANISM Filed June 4, 1927 April 21,1931.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR` Oliverl 3 Jennz'ny.:

A ORNEY Patented Apr. 2l, 1931.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OLIVER. S. JENNINGS, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO,ASSIGNOR T WETINGHOUSE ELEUIBIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA SWITCH MEcHANisM Application iled .Tune 4, 1927. Seriai No.196,466.

1|; wear and at the same time prevent the entrance of dust and foreignmatter through openings usually provided for supporting the ail.

Another object of my invention is to pro- Vide an improved means forconnecting the switch` blade to the operating bail.

r These and other objects that will be made apparent throughout thefurther description of my invention are attained by means of the switchmechanism hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings wherein,

y Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an enclosed switch, embodyingfeatures of my so invention, the cover being shown as partly cut away,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the switch mechanism shown vin Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a transverse section throu hthe u switch mechanism taken onthe line II -III ofFig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective the switch actuating mechanism and,

Figs. 5 and 6 are longitudinal sections taken on the line `V---V of Fig..1 showing the switch operating mechanism in closed and open ositions,respectively.

Re erring to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a sheet metal housing7 having oppositely disposed side walls 8 and 9, end'walls 11, and abottom wall 12. The housing is rovided with a cover 13 that is pivotedupon liinge rivets 14. .n

An insulating base 16 is secured to the bottom wall of the housing andcarries the usual View of fuse receptacles 17 and mountings for knifeswitches 18 which include the hinge jaws 19 and the contact jaws 21.

The switch blades 18 are connected to a switch operating bail 22 bymeans of a pair of metal arms 23 that are attached to clips 24y securedto an insulating bar 25. The insulating bar is fixed to the switchblades 18.

The arms 23 are each provided with a socket bearing 26 into which thebail is inserted through a notch 27 disposed between .integral pineyelets 28, as indicated in Figs.

1 and 2. The bail is held in assembled position within the socket 26 bymeans of Cotter pi is 29 that are inserted through the eyelets 28. Thisconstruction provides an inexpensive switch arm and facilitates itsassembly.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the switch operatingmechanism comprises a pair of discs31 and 32 which are disposed onopposite sides ofthe side wall 9 and which are riveted together by meansof shoulder rivets 33.v The inner disc 32 is provided with a countersunkportion 34 whichl constitutes a journal that rotates within the bearingopening 35 in the side wall 9. An operating handle 36 made of a roundiron bar'is attached to the outer disc 31. As indicated in Figs. 2, 3and 4, the operating handle comprises an integral eyelet 37 that isattached to the disc 31 by means of the integral iiange 38 of the disc31 which is spun over the eyelet to iix it in position and to preventrelative rotary movement of the operating handle with respect to thedisc.

The side wall 8 is provided with a closed socket 39y for receiving thejournal end of the bearing 41 and the disc 32 is provided with asimilarly closed socket 42 for receiving the journal end 43 of the bail22. The bail is assembled within the sockets by compressing the endsthereof toward one another and snapping it into assembled positions, asshown in the drawing. By reason of this construction the bearing opening35 is closed and there is no opening at the socket 39. Therefore, dustand foreign substances are excluded at these points and because of thebroad wearing surfaces presented the wear is reduced to a minimum.

The bail 22 is operated by means of an actuating plate 44 that ismounted for limited rotation upon the journal 43 of the bail, thebearing for the plate comprising a bushing 45 that is drawn from theplate 44 and which constitutes an integral part thereof.

For reasons which will hereinafter appear, it is desirable to provide alost motion connection between the operating handle and the actuatingplate 44 in order to permit of limited movement of the actuating handlebefore the plate is rotated thereby. For this purpose the plate 44 isprovided with a pair of arcuate slots 46 through which the shoulderrivets 33 extend and which permit of limited movement of the plate 44with respect to the operating handle.

The plate 44 is retained-in assembled relation to the operating handleby means of the shoulder rivets 33 which extend through a retainingwasher 47, as indicated in Fig'. 3. The washer 47 fits over the shoulderbearing 45 of the disc 44. i

The actuating disc 44 is' provided with a peripheral -flange 48 having aslot 49 for -receiving the bail 22 which is inserted through the opening51 in the iange 48. By reason of the slot 49 a. lost motion connectionis provided between the actuating plate 44 and' the bail 22, the purposeof which will hereinafter appear.

In order to impart a snap action opening and closing movement to theswitch blades, the actuating disc 44 is pivotally connected to anover-center compression spring 52 that surrounds a guide bar'53 havingan enlarged end member 54 that is pivotally attached to the disc by apin 55. The free end of the bar operates in a slot 56 in a guide clip 57that is pivoted to the side wall 9 of the'housing by a pin 58. "`The`spring 52 is disposed between the enlarged portion 54 of the guide barand the clip 57 and serves to move the disc 44 to either of its extremepositions with a snap action.. f l

The movement of the disc is limited by means of a stop lug 59 that isstamped from the side wall 9 and which is engaged by a lug 61 on thedisc or plate 44 when the disc-is in its eXtreme closed position, asshown in Fig. 5, and by the lug 62 when the disc is in the openposition, as shown in Fig. 6.

Assuming that the switch is in the closed position, shown in Figs. 1, 2,3 and 5, the switch is opened by moving the operating handle 36clockwise as shown in Figs.`5 and 6. The initial movement oftheoperating handle moves the shoulder rivets 33 into engagement with theends 63 of the slots 46.

lFurther movement of the operating handle ca uses clockwise rotation ofthe actuating disc 44,-thus compressing the spring 52 until the pin 55passes the center line between the axesof the disc 44 and the lpin 58.During this movement of the operating handle and the disc 44 the end 64of the slot 49 engages the bail 22 ,and causes initial movement of theswitch blades 18 toward open movement. The spring 52 passes over thepreviously re erred to center line just prior to the separation of theblades 18 from their contact jaws 21. y The instant the spring haspassed over center it causes rotation of the actuating disc to openposition with a snap action, thus forcing the switch blades to openposition with a rapid movement. The' movement of the actuating disc islimited by the lug 62 which engages the stop lug 59.

Since a lost motion connection is provided between the operating handleand the actuating disc, and a lost motion connection is also providedbetween the actuating disc and the bail, the switch moves to openposition regardless of whether the operating handle is being held by theoperator or not. Should the spring fail or should the contacts seize andprevent the spring from opening the switch, the switch may be positivelyactuated to open position by 'moving the operating handle to its fullopen position.

In order to close the switch, the operating handle 36 is moved in .theopposite direction. Initial movement of the operating handle imparts nomovement to the actuating disc 44 until the shoulder rivets 33' engagethe ends 65 of the slots 46. Further movement vof the operating handlecauses counter-clockwise rotation of the actuating disc until the spring52 is again moved over center, at which time the disc will be moved toclosed position with a snap action, carrying with it the bail 22 whichmoves the switch to closed position with a snap action. The finalclosing movement of the switch under the in- 'uence of the spring 52occurs regardless of whether the operating handle 36 is held by theoperator. The switch may be locked in vthe on or oil position by placinga padlock haspthrough perforations 66 and 67 in the clip 68 and theflange 69 respectively. The clip 68 is secured vto the exterior side ofthe wall 9 and the flange 69 is integral with the disc 31.

It is apparent from the foregoing that a I simple, inexpensive,quick-make and quickbreak operating switch mechanism is provided.Because the parts constituting the" switch operating mechanism arestamped from sheet metal, the overallthickness of the switch operatingmechanism is materially reduced and therefore the space required for theswitch .is reduced to a minimum.'

lVhile I have illustrated but one embodiment of my invention, it will beapparent to i Iclaimasmy v 1. Switch mechamsm compr' a hous.

invention:

havingv side walls Vone of whi is proed witha bearing open'ing, a pairof discs of larger diameter than the opening disposed on opposite -sidesofthe said side walls and I secured` together by a pair of shoulderrivets, .one of the discs having a journal fitting within the openingand centering the said discs for rotation about the axis of thebearingopening and the inner disc having a centrally disposed bearing socket,an operating handle4 attached to the outer disc, a movable switch withinythe housing an operating member therefor pivoted at ohe end in the saidsocket,

`an actuating member rotatably mounted on theoperating member and havinga lost motion connection thereto, the actuating member beinl'providedvwith arcuate slots through whi the shoulder rivets extend forproividin'g a lost motion connection to the operating handle, the saidrivets serving to re- -tain the actuating member in assembled relationto the operating handle, and a spring for moving the actuating member toeither of its extreme positions with a snap action.

c `2. Switch mechanism comprising a movable switch member, an operatingbail therefor, a support, a'bail operating plate rotat'- 'abl mounted inthe supportand provided wit an annular flange and an operating handlevcomprisin a rod havmg' an eyelet at one end attachd` tothe plate byportions of the said flange. v

3.`An o erating handle for a switch comprising a gar provided with anintegral eyeet at one end, and a flanged plate provi ed with means forconnecting to a switch mem'- ber, the said plate being attached to theeyelet by means of portionsl of the flan e bent around the e eletportion of the hande.

4. A switc arml comprising a sheet metal platey having a bearing socketfor a switch ets, and lmeans accessib e exteriorly of the for actuatingthe lsaid bail. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my methis mh da of Ma 1927.

'OLIVER s. iENNIliGs.

